Gnosall event raises £1,700 for historic village church

GNOSALL’S St Lawrence’s Church has been given a boost as organisers of a Victorian Christmas market raised £1,700 towards its upkeep.

More than 400 people flocked to the event in the church, off Sellman Street, last month and explored 30 food and craft stalls.

The cash raised will be reinvested into the infrastructure of the Grade I listed church, which features arches dating back to the 12 century.

Linden Homes, which is building properties at The Hollies in Gnosall, donated a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of champagne and a traditional Christmas Eve box to be used as prizes in the market’s raffle.

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Maggie Hughes, from the Friends of St Lawrence Church said: “December’s market was one of our most successful to date and it made me very proud to see so many people enjoying it.

“We’ve organised the Christmas market several times now and seen the amount raised towards the church increase each year.

“Some of the features of St Lawrence’s date back to Norman times, so it’s very important that the structure is maintained and stays a part of our village culture. All the money which the group raises goes on making sure that the church is kept in the best possible condition.

“I’d like to thank Linden Homes for donating their prizes to the raffle, and thank everyone who helped to make last year’s fundraising total possible.”

The raffle raised just over £300 towards the total and also featured prizes of various food hampers.

Linda Huntington, head of sales for Linden Homes West Midlands, said: “We are always pleased to work with and support the communities where we are building homes, so when we heard about the Victorian Christmas Market we were keen to get involved.

“Gnosall is a village with great community spirit which is particularly abundant around Christmas. The market is a testament to that and it was lovely to see such a great turnout and a festive buzz around the church.

“We were glad we could lend a helping hand to the raffle and we hope the winners enjoy their prizes.”